Process of treating wood for surface ornamentation



Oct. 15, 1935. J. BROWN 2,017,037

PROCESS OF TREATING WOOD FOR SURFACE OHNAMENTATION Filed May 31, 1953 s Sheets-She et 1 J Brown IN van/Ta A @c. J15, 1935. J. BROWN 2,017,037

PROCESS OF TREATING WOOD FOR SURFACE ORNAMENTATION Filed May 31, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 a I b Eye.

Oct. 15, 1935. J, BROWN 2,017,037

PROCESS OF TREATING WOOD FOR SURFACE ORNAMENTATION Filed May 31, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Uf Bro 7 Mum QR Patented Oct. 15, 1935 PATENT OFFICE PROCESS OF TREATING WOOD FOR SURFACE ORNAMENTATION John Brown, Glasgow, Scotland Application May 31, 1933, Serial No. 673,761 In Great Britain June 10, 1932 15 Claims.

This invention comprises a process of treating wood for surface ornamentation.

My invention has for its object to provide a process by means of which wood can be treated for surface ornamentation, which ornamentation penetrates right through the Wood and does not exist only on the surface thereof.

A further object of my invention is to provide a process for treating wood to make it resemble wood of a higher market value, or to impart to plain wood ornamentation resembling the natural figuring of such wood. For example plain or unfigured mahogany may be treated to resemble figured mahogany.

A further object of my invention is to provide a process whereby relatively thick wood can have imparted thereto a surface ornamentation which penetrates right through the wood so that the wood can thereafter be cut into thin sheets or veneers each having the ornamentation applied thereto.

My invention comprises a process of configuring or waving the grain or fibre of a sheet or plank of wood for the purpose of surface ornamentation which consists in first softening the sheet or plank by steam or otherwise, thereafter subjecting the softened sheet or plank to the action of heated complementary dies so as to configure or wave the grain or fibre throughout the thickness of the wood, the heat of the dies simultaneously permanently setting the grain or fibre as configured or waved, and thereafter planing or otherwise treating at least one of the surfaces of the Wood to form a smooth surface and expose the grain or fibre to produce the desired ornamentation on the finished surface, such ornamentation being mainly or solely due to the configuration or waving of the grain or fibre and the subsequent planing or other treatment of the surface of the wood as aforesaid.

My invention further consists in a process of treating wood to make it resemble more or less Wood of a higher market value which consists in first softening the wood by steam or otherwise, thereafter subjecting the wood to pressure between complementary heated dies, by which the grain or fibre of the wood is waved or configured throughout the thickness of the wood to correspond to that of the wood which it is desired to imitate, the heat of the dies simultaneously permanently setting the grain or fibre 'as configured or waved by the dies, and thereafter planing or otherwise treating at least one of the surfaces so as to form a smooth surface which, by reason of the configuration or waving imparted to the grain or fibre has the appearance of a figured wood of greater market value.

It will be apparent that as wood is practically inextensible and that the developed surface of a piece of wood, after being subjected to the action of dies, is longer than the overall length of the dies acting thereon there is considerable danger of injuring or rupturing the grain or fibre of the wood unless provision is made to prevent this.

My invention therefore further consists in subjecting the softened wood to end pressure either before or when being subjected to the action of the heated complementary dies.

This object may be obtained by slightly curving the wood in the direction of its length and preventing the wood flattening out until the dies have made their impression thereon.

Or alternatively the softened wood may be su jected to end pressure by means of a hydraulic or other press simultaneously with the gradual application of the dies.

If desired, however, the dies may be first brought intooperation only to such extent as will prevent buckling of the wood and thereafter, when the Wood is in a state of compression, brought fully into operation.

According to a development of my invention a plurality of sheets of wood is first softened by steam or otherwise, each sheet thereafter sub-- jected to the action of complementary dies so as to bend or wave the fibre or grain of the wood, the dies being heated so that the fibre or grain sets permanently as bent or waved, thereafter superimposing and permanently securing together the sheets with the projections and recesses of adjacent sheets interfitting, and thereafter cutting or planing the wood so as to show more or less of the component sheets.

My invention further consists in superimposing two or more sheets as set forth in the preceding paragraph and thereafter cutting or planing the upper sheet to such extent that the protuberances .of one or more of the sheets immediately below are more or less exposed and appear on the finished surface. 7

The sheets may, for example, be treated to represent birds-eye maple and the projections of the sheet or sheets below the upper sheet so located that when exposed they represent the eyes" of the wood. 50

A multiplicity of sheets each first softened and subjected to the action of heated dies to bend or wave the fibre, may be superimposed, the projections and recesses of adjacent sheets interfitting, and the composite slab thereafter cut at an angle 5 to form sheets each of which contains two or more of the multiplicity of sheets of which it was originally composed and showing the grain or fibre as bent or waved by the dies.

In preference such composite sheets should be secured to a suitable backing or base.

According to a development of my invention a relative thick sheet or plank of wood is softened and subjected to the action of heated dies having projections and depressions of relatively large areas, is thereafter cut into thinner sheets each showing the design of the dies, and thereafter each thinner sheet is softened and subjected to the action of heated dies having projections The extent to which the wood is treated during the softening stage will depend on the nature and condition of the wood and its dimensions.

For example intreating sheets of mahogany wood, th inch thick, fully seasoned, I have dies.

;found that the wood is reduced to the desired condition by treatment for' about two hours in a wood steamer at ordinary working pressure of about 80 lbs. per square inch. 7

If the wood is green or the thickness/less, the time of such initial process may be reduced. But

in any case such treatment must be of, sufiicient' duration to make the wood soft enough to permit the grain or fibre to become bent or waved under pressure of the dies.

The dies must be complementary, that is the protuberances in one must correspond to the recesses in the other so that the grain or fibre is -configured or waved, that is, rippled, corrugated or otherwise modified according to the formation of the dies.

In practice I have found that good results are obtained with corrugations about %th to 4 inch in height, the corresponding depression being of a like depth. V

The dies must be heated and this may be done by supplying steam to the interior thereof, or, alternatively, heating them by means of an electric resistance incorporated therein. The, degree of heat employed must be such that the dies while configuring or waving the fibre or grain also dry the wood so that grain or fibre sets in the altered state, and is preferably just below the temperature at which the wood would be injured.

It will be apparent, however, that the thicker and harder the wood the longer the wood will require to be kept between the dies. Further the time factoris to an extent at least also dependent on the temperature of the dies, the higher the temperature the shorter the time between the The pressure acting on the dies should be that necessary to sink the protuberances thereof into the wood and no more. Where the dies are incorporated in a hydraulic press the press is set in such manner that immediately the protuberances of the dies are forced into the wood further .movement of the dies ceases.

Where iron or steel dies are employed, as will usually be the case, the surfaces thereof should be coated or plated with any suitable metal to prevent discolouration of the wood. 7

wood being first further seasoned or dried naturally or artificially.

Where the wood is thin it is preferable, after planing on one side thereof, to secure it to a reinforcing base preparatory to doing the other side.

By the employment of suitably shaped dies the Wood may be treated to give a plane, ripple, wave, or like surface appearance. Also suitable designs, letters, numerals or other ornamentations 1 may be'applied to the wood and planed or unfigured timber treated so as to give a figured effect by appropriate dies.

after being subjected to the action of the com- 2.

plementary dies. 7

Figure 4 is a side elevation of a sheet of wood after being subjected to the action of complementary dies and after both faces thereof have been planed. 3 Figure 5 is a viewof the face of the sheet of 1 wood after it has been subjected to the action of complementary dies and planed.

Figures 6 and 6 illustrate the opposed faces of two complementary dies. 3 Figure 7 is the view of the face of a sheet of wood after it has been subjected to the action of the dies shown in Figures 6 and 6 and after the face has been planed,

Figure 8 shows diagrammatically two comple- 4 mentary dies, a curved sheet of wood thereon and means for applying end pressure to the wood.

Figure 9 is a view corresponding to Figure 8 but showing the wood flattened out under the action of the dies. 4

Figure 10 is an elevation of two superimposed sheets of wood which have been subjected to the action of complementary dies and Figure 11 is a view of the face thereof planed so that the lower sheet appears on the surface. 5

Figure 12 is'an elevation of three superimposed sheets which have been subjected to the action of complementary dies and Figure 13 is a view of the face thereof planed so that both the lower sheets appear on the finishedsurface. V Y

' Figure 14 is a side elevation of a plurality of superimposed sheets of wood which have been subjected to the action of the complementary dies.

Figure l4 is an end View of Figure 14. 6 Figure 15 is a veneer formed by cutting the sheets shown in Figure 14 along the lines a: as.

Figure 16 showsthe face of a sheet of wood which has been subjected to the action of two pairs of complementary dies and thereafter 6 planed.-

On the annexed sheets of drawings:

Figure 1 shows the section of two complementary dies at and b, the upper die at having wave-like projections 0 corresponding to depres- 7 sions d in the opposed die b.

When a piece of wood w, softened as herein set forth and having straight grain as shown in Figure 2, is subjected to the action of said dies,

/ the grain or fibre thereof is configured or waved as shown in Figure 3. By reason of the dies being heated the bends or waves of the grain or fibre are rendered permanent, that is, the grain or fibre will not resume the former straight lines on being removed from the dies.

The wood having corrugated surfaces as shown in Figure 4 is then seasoned or dried either naturally or artificially and finally planed or otherwise treated to remove the surface corrugations thereby resulting in the wood presenting a figured or waved appearance, as indicated in Figure 5. It will be noted that as shown in Figure 5 the grain or fibre appears bent in the plane of the surface of the wood. This effect is due to the angle of the grain with respect to the surface of the wood, and where the grain extends at right angles to the surface this effect is not produced.

Figures 6 and '6 show the opposed faces of two complementary dies having one of the many designs which may be formed thereon and Figure 7 shows the design imparted to a piece of wood treated by said dies in accordance with my invention.

Figure 8 illustrates diagrammatically one method adopted to prevent the fibres of the wood being ruptured by the action of the dies. The piece of wood previously softened as aforesaid is slightly bent in the direction of its length and kept from flattening out by the stops e and f until the dies have made their impression.

The wood may be bent prior to being placed between the stops or one of the stops f utilized as a ram or press to bend the wood.

Alternatively as indicated diagrammatically in Figure 9 the softened wood may be placed between the dies and subjected to compression in the direction of its length by a hydraulic press, the dies preventing the wood buckling.

When the wood is being so compressed the dies are gradually brought into operation to bend or wave the grain or fibre of the wood.

Figure 10 shows in section two superimposed sheets or slabs of wood which have been softened and subjected to the action of dies in accordance with my invention. The upper surface of the composite sheet is then planed so that the protuberances of the lower sheet or slab is exposed to a greater or less extent as shown in Figure 11.

By such method the design or patterns can be still further varied.

For example the grain or fibre of the wood may be treated to resemble birds-eye maple, the exposed protuberances representing the eyes.

In Figure 12 three superimposed sheets are shown and when the upper surface is planed the protuberances of the third layer are shown surrounded by the exposed part of the second layer as shown in Figure 13.

As shown in Figure 14 a multiplicity of sheets or slabs each having been softened and treated by heated dies as aforesaid may be superimposed and secured together. On the composite slab being cut at an angle, for example, on the lines a: 3:, sheets are produced formed of a plurality of strips all of which, or a number thereof, show the grain or fibres bent or waved as illustrated, for example, in Figure 15. Such sheets should be mounted on a suitable base.

Figure 16 shows a sheet of wood having broad markings i and narrower markings 7' superimposed thereon. This is formed by treating a relatively thick piece of wood as described with references to Figures 1 to 5 using dies having projections and recesses of comparatively large The dies employed may be constituted by flat male and female dies or a roller die co-operating with a fiat die or two counterpart roller dies.

It will be apparent that a sheet or plank of wood thick in comparison with the depressions or undulations imparted thereto by the dies may be treated in accordance with my invention and thereafter the sheet or plank out into thin sheets or veneers, each having the characteristic ornamentation imparted by the dies to the thick sheet or plank.

In all cases I prefer that when subjecting the softened wood to the action of the dies, end pressure should be applied to the wood to cause it p to fiow into the recesses or undulations of the die andthereby prevent injury to the grain or fibre by the action of the dies.

What I claim is:

1. A process of treating wood for surface ornamentation which consists in first softening a sheet of wood, thereafter subjecting the softened sheet to the action of heated complementary dies so as to configure or wave the grain or fibre throughout the thickness of the sheet, subjecting the sheet to end pressure while being subjected to the action of the complementary dies, the heat of the dies simultaneously permanently setting the grain or fibre as configured or waved, and thereafter treating at least one of the surfaces of the sheet to form a smooth surface and expose the grain or fibre as configured or waved to produce the desired ornamentation on the finished surface, such ornamentation being solely due to the altered configuration of the grain or fibre and subsequent treatment of the surface of the sheet.

2. A process of treating wood for surface ornamentation which consists in first softening a sheet of wood, slightly curving the sheet in the direction of its length, thereafter subjecting the softened curved sheet to the action of heated complementary dies so as to configure or wave the grain or fibre throughout the thickness of the sheet, preventing the sheet from flattening out until the dies have made their impression thereon, the heat of the dies simultaneously permanently setting the grain or fibre as configured or waved, and thereafter treating at least one of the surfaces of the sheet to form a smooth surface and expose the grain or fibre as configured Q or waved to produce the desired ornamentation on the finished surface, such ornamentation being solely due to the altered configuration of the grain or fibre and subsequent treatment of the surface of the sheet.

3. A process of treating a one piece plank or board of wood to make it more closely resemble a wood of higher market value which consists in softening the wood, thereafter subjecting the softened plank or board to the action of heated complementary dies by which the grain or fibre of the wood is waved or configured throughout the thickness of the wood to correspond to that of the wood which it is desired to imitate, subjecting the wood to end pressure while being subjected to the action of the complementary dies, the heat of the dies simultaneously permanently setting the grain or fibre as configured or waved by the dies, and thereafter treating at least one ofthe surfaces to form a smooth surface, which,

by reason of the configuration or'wave of the grain or fibre, has the appearance of a figured wood of greater market value.

4. A process of treating a 'one'piece plank or board of wood to make it more closely resemble a wood of higher market value which consists in softening the wood, slightly curving the plank or board in the direction of its length, thereafter subjecting the softenedcurved plank 'or board to the action of heated complementary dies so as to configure or wave the grain or fibre throughout the thickness of the board or plank to correspond to that of the wood which it is desired to imitate, preventing the sheet from flattening out until the dies have made their impression thereon, the heat of the dies simultaneously permanently setting the grain or fibre as configured or waved by the dies, and thereafter treating at least one of the surfaces to form a smooth surface, which by'reason of the configuration or wave of the'grain or fibre has the appearance of a figured wood of greater market value. p

5. A process of treating wood for surface ornamentation which consists in first softening a multiplicity of sheets of wood and subjecting mentation which consists in first softening a multiplicity of sheets of wood and subjecting them to the action of heated complementary dies to bend or wave the fibre throughout their thickness, subjecting the sheets to end pressure'while being subjected to the action of the dies, the heat of the dies permanently setting the grain or fibre as bent or waved, superimposing the sheets so that the projections and recesses of adjacent sheets interfit and thereafter cutting the composite sheet at an angle to, form sheets each of which contains sections of at least two of the multiplicity of sheets and showing the grain or fibre as bent or wavedby the dies.

7. A process of treating wood for surface ornamentation which consistsin first softening a multiplicity of sheets of wood, slightly curving the sheets in the direction of their length, thereafter subjecting the softened curved sheets to the action of complementary ,dies so as to configure or Wave the grain throughout the thickness of the sheet, preventing the sheets from flattening out until the dies have made their impression-thereon, the heat of the dies setting the grain or fibre as bent or waved, superimposing the sheets so that the projections and recesses of adjacent sheets interfit and thereafter cutting the composite sheet at an angle to form sheets each of which contains sections of at least two of the multiplicity of sheets and showing the grain or fibre as bent or waved by the dies.

8. A process of treating wood for. surface ornamentation which consists in softening a pinrality of sheets of wood, thereafter subjecting each of the softened sheets to the action of heated complementary dies so as to bend or wave the fibres or grain of the wood throughout the thickness thereof, the heat of the dies permanently setting the fibre orv grain as bent or waved, thereafter superimposing "and permanently securing together the sheets with the projections and recesses of adjacent sheets interfitting, and thereafter cutting 'or planing the wood'so as to show more or less of the component sheets. 5

dies, the dies being heated so that the fibre or grain sets permanently as bent or waved, there- 15 after superimposing and permanently securing together the sheets with the projections and recesses of adjacent sheets interfitting, and thereafter cutting or planing the wood so as to show more or less of the component sheets.

'10. A process of treating wood for surface ornamentation which consists in softening a plurality of sheets of wood, slightly curving the softened sheets in the direction of their length,

thereafter subjecting each of the softened curved 25 sheets to the action of complementary dies so as to bend or wave the fibres or grain of the wood throughout the thickness thereof, preventing the as bent or waved, thereafter superimposing and permanently securing together the sheets with the projections and recesses of adjacent sheets interfitting, and thereafter cutting or planing the wood so as to show more or less of the component sheets. i

11. A process of treating wood for surface ornamentation which consists in softening a plurality of sheets of wood, thereafter subjecting each of 40 the softened sheets to the action of complementary dies so as to bend or wave the fibres or grain of the wood throughout the thickness thereof, the dies being heated so that the fibre or grain sets permanently as bent or waved, thereafter 45 superimposing and permanently securing together the sheets with the projections and recesses of adjacent sheets interfitting, and thereafter planing the upper sheet to: such extend that the protuberances of at least one of the sheets immediately below are exposed to appear on the finished surface.

12. A process of treating wood for surface ornamentation which consists in softening a plurality of sheets of wood, thereafter subjecting each of 55 the softened sheets to the action of complementary dies so as to bend or wave the fibres or grain 'of the wood throughout the thickness thereof,

subjecting the sheets to end pressure while being subjected to the action of the complementary 60 dies, heating the dies so that the fibre or grain 'sets permanently as bent or waved, thereafter superimposing and permanently securing together the sheets with the projections and recesses of adjacent sheets interfitting, and thereafter planing the uppersheet to such extent that the protuberances of at least one of the sheets immediately below'are exposed to appear on the finished surface.

' 13. A process of treating wood for surface orna- 'mentation which consists in softening a plurality wave the fibres or grain of the wood throughout the thickness thereof, preventing the sheets from flattening out until the dies have made their impression thereon, heating the dies so that the fibre or grain sets permanently as bent or waved, thereafter superimposing and permanently securing together the sheets with the projections and recesses of adjacent sheets interfitting, and thereafter planing the upper sheet tosuch extent that the protuberances of at least one of the sheets immediately below are exposed. to appear on the finished surface.

14. A process of treating wood for surface ornamentation which consists in softening a relatively thick sheet of wood, thereafter subjecting the softened sheet to the action of heated complementary dies having projections and. depressions of a relatively large area or areas, subjecting the sheet to end pressure while being subjected to the action of said dies, thereafter cutting the wood into thinner sheets each showing the design of the dies, thereafter softening the thinner sheets, subjecting each to the action of heated complementary dies having projections and recesses of smaller area, subjecting the sheets to end pressure while being subjected to the action of the dies, and finally smoothing one or both surfaces of each sheet.

15. A process of treating wood for surface ornamentation which consists in softening a relatively thick sheet of wood, curving the softened sheet in the direction of its length, thereafter subjecting the softened curved sheet to the action of heated complementary dies having projections and depressions of a relatively large area or areas, preventing the sheet from flattening out until the dies have made their impression thereon, thereafter cutting the wood into thinner sheets each showing the design of the dies, softening the thinner sheets, curving the softened thinner sheets in the direction of their length and subjecting each thinner softened curved sheet to the action of heated complementary dies having projections and recesses of smaller area, preventing 

